Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem

Bruns sheathed his sword and looked at Zach with cold eyes as he cooled down. He quickly regained control over his emotions.

"...What do you want?" He asked. Bruns could tell that he only stood to lose if he gave in to his emotions–gave in to Zach's provocation and started a fight. Even if he could beat Zach, kill him, even, what next? Zach was the first S-rank summoner at the Academy in years. He was the youngest son of the Evandiel Duke.

If the principal didn't kill him, the Evandiels would. And if, by some miracle, neither of them pursued the matter after confirming that Zach was at fault, Bruns still had a city tainted with underworld energy to do something about, the Underworld to fight, and a class of students on his bad side.

The Underworld was one thing, but the students were future powerhouses of the Empire.

Bruns' life in the future would suck. And that was if he managed to kill Zach.

Bruns glanced at the tall, tan, white-haired maid behind Zach and then at the blonde, golden-eyed maid behind himself. It was hard to get a read on how powerful they were.

All Bruns could tell was that they were strong.

Fighting them wouldn't have him come out on the other side uninjured.

Zach smiled. People should be obedient.

"Admit your misdoings and, during this, let's say event, you and your men will listen to my orders. If those orders come from another's mouth, such as from Nessa here, you will treat their words as mine."

"You—"

"In exchange, your man will get to keep his hands and won't be punished in any other way for his actions. You all will also get a talisman each." Zach looked into Bruns' eyes. A little carrot after the stick would make it easier for Bruns to stomach the agreement.

"And why would I listen to you?" Bruns asked defiantly.

"Because more than you despise me, you hate the Underworld, and as much as you dislike it, you're smart enough to know that listening to me, or at the very least cooperating, is your best bet to ruin the Underworld's plans.

"Sure, you can refuse. You can fight back if I try to grab your subordinate's hands. But you won't be getting any talismans. You won't be getting any potions. You will have to get food, weapons, tents, and places to sleep on your own. You will have to watch your step when you investigate the city.

You will have to risk underworld energy poisoning for you and your men when you enter the sewers.

"And when it comes, when you stand face to face with a Named again, you will be alone. Those guys behind you will die or flee without doing anything. Nothing but you and the Named. Of course, as long as you are confident you can kill the Named before they do anything, be my guest.

"But if you're not confident, take this talisman and prepare to inspect the tunnels."

Zach had pinpointed Bruns' weaknesses and insecurities from how he reacted during their conversation. Even if he was extremely reluctant and mistrustful, Bruns had to accept Zach's deal.

More than he was the boss over the others and more than he was a thug or grieving brother, he was an Underworld Exterminator. He sought revenge for his brother's death, not to take out his sorrow on others who had nothing to do with it.

He didn't have too much trouble setting aside the irritation he felt at Zach's earlier provocation to improve his odds of exterminating underworlders.

He took the talisman.

"...I won't blindly listen to orders, but I will hear you and your friends out."

"I couldn't ask for more!" Zach said happily. He pointed at Dukiel.

"That's Dukiel. He has a map over the sewers with the entrance to the Underworld marked. Make a copy and set up a watch there. I think we have some magic tools around here to make that easier. I would also appreciate it if you were to lead an expedition deeper into the tunnels. We had some trouble earlier this year with a lot of disappearances.

Please find out more about that."

Bruns looked at Dukiel.

"Sure." He turned back to Zach and nodded. He would have to do some of his own research and find out more before he did anything. But if Zach was speaking the truth, he wanted to go deeper into the tunnels.

It wasn't often they found intact pathways into the Underworld or that even led closer to the Underworld.

Of course, entering the Underworld was suicide, but it was the best way to find underworlders, and finding underworlders was the only way to kill them.

"Perfect." Zach smiled again and turned to Nessa. She nodded. She could handle the rest.

Zach turned around and left. He considered having Yanael stay behind to oversee things and prevent any more trouble. But that was unnecessary. She wasn't the only S-rank. She was the strongest and most famous thanks to her appearance.

But Zach's classmates and club members weren't useless. He could trust them to handle things from now on. It had just taken a little force to get Bruns to cooperate.

He had a feeling that Violina could probably have done it since she was also the child of a duke and had an S-rank summoner. But Yanael and Alzara were better at intimidation than Violina's Frost Imp. That little critter was better at creeping people out. People also tended to underestimate and misjudge smaller beings and women.

It was a shame, especially when Zach knew how feisty and powerful both Violina and her familiars were. But he had a feeling that Violina would have succeeded anywas, it would just have taken a little more time and maybe some bloodshed.

The others, however, would have had trouble getting Bruns to fall in line.

Fortunately, now that Bruns had given in once, it would be easier to keep him in check. They were also fortunate that Bruns wasn't made of the same material as Vetter. That would have been a problem.